Door frame for railway hopper cars



May 2, 1950 w. E. WINE DOOR FRAME FOR RAILWAY HOPPER CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 16, 1947 WENTOR. 11 11113111122 will e,

y 1950 w. E. WINE 2,506,259

DOOR FRAME FOR RAILWAY HOPPER CARS 'Filed July 16, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. William .E. Zine,

Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED PATENT omen 2,500,259 ma num FORRAILWAY HOPPER cans wine, Parker, Va. ApplicationJuly is, 1947, Serial No.'761,2-32

5 Claims.

My invention relates to the hoppers of railway cars and more specifically to a frame or the like at the discharge end of the hopper through which lading is discharged therefrom. H

Door frames are usually made with flanges for attaching them to the sheets of the hopper. In view of the inclination of the Outer side sheet and the floor side Sheet, the flanges for attachment to these sheets are formed to conform with the inclination of the sheet. As it is norinal practice to vary the inclination of the discharge end of the hopper an where'from 30 to50 tothe Vertical, the inclination of the outer hopper side sheet and the floor sheet of the hopper will change'with the inclination of the discharge end of the hop er and, therefore, door fiame's must be provided. with flanges fbrined at varyin ang'les for attachment to the hopper sheets.

The principal object o'fthe invention is, therefore, to provide a door frame which is of such construction that the inclination of the frame to the vertical can be substantially varied to accommodate itself to the inclination of the discharge end of the hopper without making structural changes in the frame itself. v v H A primary feature of theinventioh consists in butt welding the edges of the sheets of the hopper at the discharge end'theregf to the inner face of a frame member which is disposed at varying angles to the vertical well within the A. A. R. limit line, the frame being formed with an aperture within its borders through which lading may disoharge from 'thehopper.

Another feature oftheinvention consists in arranging the edges of the hopper sheets around the discharge end o'f'thehopper ina substantially common plane and in securing those edges to the inner face of a frame member arranged at the discharge end of the hopper, theframe memher being provided with .an aperture within its borders and with an outwardly extendingflange surrounding the aperture, a hingedly mounted doo'r'having inwardly extending marginal -flanges being adapted to overlap the outer faces of said outwardly extending flange of the frame member to prevent the escapeof fading from the hopper through the'aperture. v

A further feature of the invention consists in providing the frame member which is arranged at the discharge end of the hopper with triangularly shaped plate portions on opposite sides of an aperture in the frafne "member through which'lading is adapted to be discharged from the hopper, the edges of the hblipef sheets artund the dischargeend thereof being welded to the inner 2 faces of the triangular portions and to other portions of the frame member. 7

A still further feature of the invention consists in providing the hopper above the discharge end thereof with an angularly shaped member interposed between the inner and outer side sheets of the hopper and having its ends respectively butt welded to the inner faces of said hopper sheets, said member affording a pivotal mounting for a hinged door which is adapted to close an aperture in a frame member arranged at the discharge end of the hopper for preventing the escape of lading therefrom.

In the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view of'the lower portion of one-half of a railway hopper car, the door and door frame of the hopper being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the outer side of the hopper.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on line 3- 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the member which forms a, frame for the door.

Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged detail sectional views taken on lines 6-6 and 1- 1, respectively, of Figure 5.

conventional railroad hopper cars have a plurality of pairs of hoppers and the hoppers of each pair are identical and are arranged on opposite sides of the center of the car, only a single hopper of one of the pairs of hoppers is illustrated inthe drawings.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I indicates the 'cehter 'sill which in the present embodiment of the invention consists of an integral member having a top web 2 and a pair of downwardly extending'side walls "3, only one of which is illustrated. Each side wall may conveniently terminate in a laterally projecting rigidifying flange 4. The side sill on the adjacent side of the car isgenerally designated by the reference numeral 5 and is preferably of angle shape having an upstanding vertical flange 6 and a lower horizo'ntal'fiange 1.

overlying the center sill and extending longi tudinally of the ear therewith is the conventional ridge sheet 3 having downwardly diverging portion's9, only one of which is shown in the drawings, which respectivelyterminate in substantial- 1y vertical portions ID secured to the adjacent side Wall 3 of the center sill. A cross ridge sheet H, which extends transversely of the car, has a downwardly inclined portion I2 which terminates adjacent the top of the discharge opening of the hopper.

Instead of forming each hopper with separate sheets, it may be conveniently formed from a single metal sheet which is suitably bent to provide inner and outer side sheets !3 and [4, respectively, and a downwardly inclined floor sheet [5. The upper edge of the inner side sheet is secured to the upper portion of the center sill by the same rivets 16 which secure the longitudinal ridge sheet 8 thereto. From its point of attachment to the center sill, the inner hopper side sheet 53 inclines away from the adjacent side of the sill to adjacent the outer end of the flange 4 of the sill from where the side sheet extends downwardly substantially vertically. The upper end of the outer side sheet is overlappingly secured to the inner face of the upstanding leg 6 of the side sill to which the lower ends of sheets I! forming the adjacent side wall of the car are also attached. The outer side sheet inclines inwardly sharply to clear the inner edge of the horizontal flange l and from there inclines downwardly at a less abrupt angle to where it joins the floor sheet I 5.

Arranged at the discharge end of the hopper is a frame or the like 18 having an aperture l within its borders and an outwardly extending flange 20 bounding the aperture. At opposite sides of the aperture, the frame member is provided with triangular plate portions 2! and 22 respectively which preferably extend above the upper edge of the aperture. The triangular pcrtion 2| adjacent the inner side of the plate member has its outer edge inclined at about the same degree of inclination as the inclined portion of the inner hopper side sheet. And the triangular portion 22 which is disposed adjacent the outside of the hopper has its outer edge substantially parallel with the outer side sheet it of the hopper.

The edges of the hopper sheets around the discharge end of the hopper abut the inner face of the frame member if; and are butt welded thereto. For this reason, the edges preferably lie in a substantially common plane.

A door for closing the aperture is hingedly connected to an angular member 23 which extends along the lower edge of the inclined portion E2 of the cross ridge sheet. This member is generally of angular shape having a flange 2Q riveted to the cross ridge sheet and an outwardly projecting flange 25 whose outer end terminates in the same common plane as the adjacent ends of the hopper sheets and is butt welded to the inner face of the portion of member 26 above the aperture It. The angular member 24 is preferably disposed between the inner and outer hopper side sheets and its ends are preferably butt welded to the inner faces of those sheets.

A pair of hinge straps 2'! may be conveniently secured to the outer face of the door 28 and the upper end of each hinge strap is positioned within spaced lugs of a bracket 29 riveted to the angular member 23, the lugs having registering apertures for receiving a hinge pin 30 which also extends through an opening in the upper end of the hinge strap.

The door may be conveniently formed with marginal flanges 3| which are adapted to overlap the outer faces of the flange 20 on the plate member l8 to prevent the escape of lading through the aperture from the hopper. As is conventional, a door spreader 32 which connects the doors of each pair of hoppers so that they will swing in unison is mounted on the outer face of the door. And a hook 33 pivotally mounted on the outer side sheet of the hopper may Joe conveniently provided for engaging an arm 34 which is secured to and extends beyond the adjacent end of the door spreader to maintain the door in closed position and thus prevent the escape of lading from the hopper through the aperture I9.

Although the plate portion 35 of the frame 18 generally extends laterally from the outer side of the flange 26 thereof, it nevertheless extends inwardly from the flange 2%, as indicated at 36, at the lower outer corner of the aperture. In this manner, the aperture may be of maximum size and yet the lower outer corner of the plate or frame will be adequately reinforced. Beneath the aperture, the frame may be additionally rigidified along its lower edge by a comparatively narrow inwardly extending flange 3?.

By butt welding the ends of the hopper sheets to the inner face of the plate member it, the construction is such that the inclination of the frame may be varied to suit many different hopper constructions without making any changes whatsoever in the frame.

Various modifications may be made in the embodiment of the invention here disclosed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A railway car having a hopper provided with inner and outer side sheets and a downwardly inclined floor sheet, the edges of the sheets around the discharge end. of the hopper being disposed in substantially a common plane, a frame member having plate portions arranged at the hopper opening, said edges of the hopper.

sheets being butt welded to the inner face of said plate portions, said frame member being provided with an aperture within its borders and with an outwardly extending flange surrounding the aperture, and a hinged door having inwardly extending marginal flanges adapted to overlap the outer faces of said outwardly extending flange member to prevent the escape of lading from the hopper through said aperture.

2. A railway car having a hopper provided with inner and outer side sheets and a downwardly inclined floor sheet, a frame member arranged at the discharge end of the hopper, said member.

having an aperture within its borders and being provided with triangularly shaped plate portions disposed on opposite sides of the aperture, the edges of the hopper sheets at the discharge end of the hopper being butt welded to the inner face of said triangularly shaped portions and to the inner face of other portions of said frame member, and a hinged door for preventing the escape of lading from the hopper through said aperture.

3. A railway car having a hopper provided with inner and outer side sheets and a downwardly inclined floor sheet, the edges of the sheets around the discharge end of the hopper being disposed in substantially a common plane, a frame member arranged at said discharge end of the hopper, said edges of the hopper sheets being butt welded to the inner face of said member and being provided with an aperture within its borders and an outwardly extending flange. surrounding the aperture, an angular member extending transversely of the hopper above the discharge end thereof and having a portion secured to said frame member, and a door hinged- 1y connected to said angular member for closing 4. A railway car having a hopper provided with inner and outer side sheets and a downwardly inclined floor sheet, the edges of the sheets around the discharge end of the hopper being disposed in substantially a common plane, an angular member extending transversely of the hopper above the opening at the discharge end thereof and having a forwardly extending flange whose outer edge is disposed in said common plane, a frame member arranged at the discharge end of the hopper and said edges of the hopper sheets and the outer edge of said flange being butt welded to the inner face of said frame member, said frame member having an aperture within its borders and an outwardly extending flange surrounding the aperture, and a door hingedly connected to said angular member having inwardly extending marginal flanges adapted to overlap the outer faces of said outwardly extending flange to prevent the escape of lading from the hopper through said aperture.

5. A railway car having a hopper provided with inner and outer side sheets and a downwardly inclined floor sheet, the edges of the sheets around the discharge end of the hopper being disposed in substantially a common plane, an angular member extending transversely of the OR by 6 hopper above the opening at the discharge end thereof and provided with a forwardly extending flange, said angular member being disposed between said innner and outer side sheets and having its ends respectively butt welded to the inner faces thereof, a frame member arranged at the discharge end of the hopper and said edges of the hopper sheets being butt welded to the inner faces thereof, said frame member having an aperture within its borders and having an outwardly extending flange surrounding the aperture, said angular member being secured to said frame member above the aperture, and a door hingedly connected to said angular member having portions cooperating with said flange for preventing the escape of lading from the hopper through said aperture.

WILLIAM E. WINE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,756,075 Wine Apr. 29, 1930 1,788,292 Havemeyer et a1. Jan. 6, 1931 2,101,448 Ostrander et al Dec. '7, 1937 

